From Troy to Boston: Adeline's Daddy & Family come for a visit! -- PART 2

So meant to post this last week but life got int he way so here we go! So on day two of "Don Does Massachusetts" we explored some neighborhoods so they could get a feel for the different parts of Boston. We checked out Back Bay, Brookline and a few other places. I won't bore you make you jealous with the details but here are some cute photos from the day! It was a lovely day shared with new pals and we miss them already! -Craig


(p.s. If you missed part 1 read here!)

For lunch we went to one of our favorite spots The Otherside Cafe which sadly is closing in less than 20 days! Glad Don, Rachel and Addy got to try it out before it closes it's doors. Here are Sierra and Addy enjoying some cucumbers and sunnies:

Here is Don on double swing duty for the girls. I die from the cuteness.

Sierra shredding up the playground!

Rachel taking a nice picture while Addy is eyeing the boys on the basketball court.

Addy enjoying the sandbox.

Apparently my daughter is half puppy and enjoys the feel of the open air on her tongue?

ACTION SHOT! Best part of the photo is Rachel's face.

She used to be frightened of this bridge and here she is enjoying it for the first time (with a little help of course!)

OUR NYC ADVENTURE: DAY 2 / SATURDAY

Saturday morning Milo and I woke up around 8AM and let Lauren and Sierra sleep in a bit. Exploring Soho with a dog in the early morning was really nice and relaxing. New York is very different than Boston, not only in the obvious ways like amount of businesses and people but the whole 'feel' of the city is different, the smell, the look, the people - just about everything. When Milo and I returned home we got ready and headed out in search of breakfast and coffee. After about 20 minutes of walking around aimlessly we settled upon 'sNice which is a vegan/vegetarian coffee/foodery that had so many delicious things it was hard to choose from. We ended up with a Tofu Scramble Wrap, a Grilled Cheese (yes a grilled cheese for breakfast, judge us!) and a everything bagel with tofu cream cheese - all three things were shared and loved by everyone. Oh yeah, also tons of coffee obviously.

Sierra enjoying the complimentary sugar cookie that came with breakfast! p.s. I totally ganked this photo from Lauren's tumblr here: http://laurenmissesyou.tumblr.com

As you can clearly see, we hated breakfast.

After our delicious breakfast we walked up and took the D train to 59th street / Columbus Circle and spent a few hours enjoying the beautiful day in Central Park. We found this amazing playground that is almost as big as the town Lauren is from. It had a gigantic sand box, climbing structures, tons of swings and just about everything a child could ask for. The sun and the heat were pretty intense compared to the past few weeks in Boston so we went in search of shade and we stumbled upon "The Ramble" which we didn't know when we got started but is is basically a rocky, dirty, long, steep and sometime stair filled HIKE. We were wearing Toms, had a toddler and toting a huge stroller, needless to say we were unprepared for "The Ramble". Once we finally made it out Sierra had passed out in her stroller so Lauren and I got some snacks and found some shade. Lastly we hit up Strawberry Fields and then jumped on the C train to West Village for some lunch and shopping.

Here we are resting in Central Park after The Ramble. It was a perfect little moment. (photo also stolen from Lauren's Tumblr, whoops, don't hate me Lauren!)

Here is a short little video of Sierra enjoying the swings in the Central Park playground, her favorite part was kicking over the camera man (aka me)

For lunch we decided on "Vegetarian's Paradise 2" that a friend had told us about. We kind of went all out and got Buffalo Wings and The Roll Sampler for an appetizer and the "Seafood" Extravaganza and Chicken Curry for entrees. If you're a vegan who trys to eat somewhat healthy I'd avoid this place, it's just a "fake meat paradise" and I was underwhelmed with it in general, although I can't lie that chicken curry was amazing. Once we were all full of soy and tofu we headed to Generation Records which was AMAZING if you're in NY and a vinyl nerd do not miss this place. We also went to Clementine Consignment, Hamlet's Vintage and a few other neat shops.

The Buffalo "Wings" - VERY tasty.

The curry "chicken" and potatoes. Also very good.

The "seafood" extravaganza. YUCK! We barely touched it, they actually took it off the menu without us even complaining, they just noticed we didn't touch it or ask to take it home, good customer service :)

Sierra's favorite part of the meal obviously, Mint Chip Ice Cream and Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream. It made the trip to this place, and New York, worth it. Mmmm.

Although I think my favorite part of the day was how happy Sierra seemed. She seemed to love the hustle and bustle, the people, the dogs, the cabs, the runners and bicyclist - yeah we have all that in Boston, but like I said earlier it's very different here and I could see the excitement in Sierra's face. At least two dozen people stopped and said how cute she was and one full grown man with dreadlocks and an 8 pack played peek-a-boo with her for a full three minutes. It makes me happy to see her happy and to see her make others happy. All and all it was an amazing day and I'm excited for tomorrow. Tomorrow we are planning to get to Brooklyn and explore the Brooklyn Flea, Bedford Ave and the Botanical Gardens.

OUR NYC ADVENTURE: DAY 1 / FRIDAY

OUR NYC ADVENTURE: DAY 1 / FRIDAY

Once upon a time I had a boss named Blaine who eventually left our company and moved to NYC for a new job. Blaine and I stayed in touch and when she said she needed a dog / apartment sitter for this weekend we jumped at the chance to have free lodgings for the weekend in a swanky soho loft apartment. The apartment is beautiful and the dog, Milo, is super cute and this was just the little weekend get a way we needed. 

FRIDAY:

Friday morning started like any other Friday for us which means rushing around the house like maniacs trying to get dressed, coffee'd and out the door by 7:30AM to get Sierra to daycare and Lauren and I to work. Except this Friday I didn't go to work, I went to a park near The Massachusetts College of Art and Design to graduate. Yes people you heard right, I JUST graduated from college yesterday, no I am not 22, I'm just a very late bloomer! So the ceremony was beautiful, I felt happy, accomplished and all that other mushy gushy stuff you're supposed to feel on your graduation day. After the ceremony my parents took Lauren, Sierra and I out to lunch at this place we love called The Otherside Cafe which caters to vegans AND meat eaters. It's great, if you ever find yourself in Boston I suggest you look it up. After lunch my parents threw $100 in our gas tank as a graduation present and we headed up to NYC. Lauren drove the first two hours until we stopped at a Mobil somewhere in Connecticut for the bathroom break from hell:

SO GROSS.

So after we were back on the road we were making good time, not traffic, good conversations and a happy sleeping toddler. This was until we hit the F.D.R. which was the worst nightmare of my life. Traffic up the wazzoo, stand stills, honking, single lanes and a SCREAMING toddler. After about 45 minutes of that we finally arrived at the apartment where we basically through the pack n play together and all passed out. --- stay tuned for SATURDAY some time tomorrow!